Lunatic Calm
Encyclopedia
Lunatic Calm were a UK-based electronic music group formed in 1996. Despite a wide-ranging sound palette, the group was best known for their high impact, industrial-tinged big beat
compositions.
and Howard "Howie" Saunders, they released two well received albums, as well as several singles and a wide range of remixes. The two had known each other since an early age, and prior to forming Lunatic Calm, they also played in several bands with Thom Yorke
(Radiohead
frontman), namely Headless Chickens
and Flicker Noise.
and other bands, although it ranged from downtempo slices of detailed urban trip-hop to turbo-charged electronic filth. Record company MCA failed to support the band and they switched their attentions to the American market where they enjoyed a series of successful tours with other groups including Crystal Method. The most notable track from that album, and the one for which the group remains best known, is "Leave You Far Behind". This track has appeared on numerous movie soundtracks including The Matrix
, Charlie's Angels
, and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
, also including The Crow in 1998-1999. A number of Lunatic Calm's tracks were used on video games, and the group did numerous remixes
for various artists including Bush
, DJ Scissorkicks, and Curve
.
, breaks, Electro & Techno
. Some of his songs (both remixes and new tracks) have appeared on the Crystal Method remix albums, Community Service
and Community Service II
amongst others.
Howie is now one half of DoubleDose, a music production & sound design partnership he set up in 2004 with BAFTA award winner Nick Ryan, devising multimedia marketing campaigns, live event productions & sonic branding for companies such as Nokia, Shell, Ernst & Young, Ford, Mazda, Land Rover, Intel and Formula One motor racing across Europe, North America & Asia Pacific. Howie is also a Director at AudioFuel, which launched in December 2008 and offers music that is custom-composed for runners & personal fitness training programs.
Big beat
Big beat is a term employed since the mid-1990s by the British music press to describe much of the music by artists such as The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, and Propellerheads typically driven by heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns in...
compositions.
History
Formed in 1996 and composed of Simon "sHack" ShackletonSimon Shackleton
Simon Shackleton is a musician, operating primarily under the name Elite Force, but also under aliases such as sHack, Killer Elite, Futurecore, Double Black, pHrack R and Zodiac Cartel. While a student at Exeter University he started his first band, Headless Chickens with future Radiohead frontman...
and Howard "Howie" Saunders, they released two well received albums, as well as several singles and a wide range of remixes. The two had known each other since an early age, and prior to forming Lunatic Calm, they also played in several bands with Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
(Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
frontman), namely Headless Chickens
Headless Chickens (UK band)
Headless Chickens were a five-piece melodic punk band from Exeter, England, comprising at various times Thom Yorke , Simon "sHack" Shackleton , John Matthias , Laura Forrest-Hay , Martin Brooks , Andy Hills and Lindsey Moore , they were well known on the Exeter punk scene in 1989...
and Flicker Noise.
First album
Their debut album Metropol was often compared to the output of The ProdigyThe Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
and other bands, although it ranged from downtempo slices of detailed urban trip-hop to turbo-charged electronic filth. Record company MCA failed to support the band and they switched their attentions to the American market where they enjoyed a series of successful tours with other groups including Crystal Method. The most notable track from that album, and the one for which the group remains best known, is "Leave You Far Behind". This track has appeared on numerous movie soundtracks including The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
, Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels (film)
Charlie's Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by McG, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as three women working for a private investigation agency...
, and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a 1997 American martial arts action film that was the sequel to 1995's Mortal Kombat, and was directed by John R. Leonetti, who had served as the cinematographer for the previous film...
, also including The Crow in 1998-1999. A number of Lunatic Calm's tracks were used on video games, and the group did numerous remixes
RemixeS
RemixeS is a compilation of French singer Mylène Farmer's singles by various famous DJ's, including JXL, Felix Da Housecat and Paul Oakenfold.-Brackground, writing and release:...
for various artists including Bush
Bush (band)
Bush are an alternative rock band formed in London in 1992 shortly after vocalist/guitarist Gavin Rossdale and guitarist Nigel Pulsford met in a London nightclub. Realising they shared a love for such diverse artists as the Pixies, Bob Marley, The Jesus Lizard, MC5, Nirvana, Hüsker Dü, and Big...
, DJ Scissorkicks, and Curve
Curve (band)
Curve was an English music group formed in 1990 chiefly around the collaboration of singer/songwriter Toni Halliday and bassist/guitarist/programmer Dean Garcia.-History:...
.
Second album
The group's second album, Breaking Point was released in 2001, after several years of wrangling with record companies, and with little to no promotion. As the album was due to be released, the record label City of Angels went under. Without label support the band were unable to continue and Lunatic Calm dispersed.After Lunatic Calm
sHack has been highly active as a solo producer & DJ ever since, operating primarily under the name Elite Force, but also under aliases such as Killer Elite, Futurecore, Double Black, pHrack R and Zodiac Cartel. He currently runs his own Used & Abused record label, having also run the Fused & Bruised imprint between 1996–2002, and is often cited as one of the leading proponents of the emergent Tech-Funk movement, fusing houseHouse music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
, breaks, Electro & Techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
. Some of his songs (both remixes and new tracks) have appeared on the Crystal Method remix albums, Community Service
Community Service (album)
Community Service is a continuous mix album released by The Crystal Method. It features remixes of Crystal Method songs, remixes created by The Crystal Method, and songs from other artists. Remixed songs from popular bands Garbage, P.O.D., and Rage Against the Machine make appearances and the...
and Community Service II
Community Service II
Community Service II is the second collaboration album from The Crystal Method, and features remixes from The Crystal Method and other Nu skool breaks artists.- Track listing :# The Crystal Method - Intro – 1:38...
amongst others.
Howie is now one half of DoubleDose, a music production & sound design partnership he set up in 2004 with BAFTA award winner Nick Ryan, devising multimedia marketing campaigns, live event productions & sonic branding for companies such as Nokia, Shell, Ernst & Young, Ford, Mazda, Land Rover, Intel and Formula One motor racing across Europe, North America & Asia Pacific. Howie is also a Director at AudioFuel, which launched in December 2008 and offers music that is custom-composed for runners & personal fitness training programs.
Albums
- MetropolMetropol (album)Metropol is the debut album of UK big beat group Lunatic Calm.The song "Leave You Far Behind" is used on The Matrix, Mortal Kombat Annihilation, Test Drive 6, Motorstorm and on Drive.-Track listing:# "Fuze"# "Leave You Far Behind"# "The Sound"# "Neon Ray"...
(1998) - Breaking PointBreaking Point (Lunatic Calm album)-Track listing:# "Beatbox Burning"# "Sound Of The Revolution"# "Borderliners"# "Neverstop"# "I Go Wild"# "Yourfuture"# "Yesterday"# "Shockwave"# "Liberation Radio"# "Nobody"# "Resurrection City"# "Revolution Rewind"...
(2002)
Singles
- "Centista"
- "One Step"
- "Leave You Far Behind" (1997)
- "Roll the Dice" (1997)
- "LC Double '0' Series (1998)
Remixes
- The HeadsThe Heads (UK band)The Heads are an English stoner rock band formed in Bristol, England in 1990. They have released seven albums, numerous EPs and singles. They recorded 3 Peel Sessions between 1995 and 1999.-Personnel:*Paul Allen - Lead Guitar, vocals, audio generator*H. O...
- "Don't Take My Kindness for Weakness" (1996) - Black GrapeBlack GrapeBlack Grape were a 1990s rock band from England, featuring former members of Happy Mondays. The group's music was funky and eclectic, using varied instrumentation and samples.-History:...
- "Get Higher" (1997) - BushBush (band)Bush are an alternative rock band formed in London in 1992 shortly after vocalist/guitarist Gavin Rossdale and guitarist Nigel Pulsford met in a London nightclub. Realising they shared a love for such diverse artists as the Pixies, Bob Marley, The Jesus Lizard, MC5, Nirvana, Hüsker Dü, and Big...
- "Comedown" (1997) - CurveCurve (band)Curve was an English music group formed in 1990 chiefly around the collaboration of singer/songwriter Toni Halliday and bassist/guitarist/programmer Dean Garcia.-History:...
- "Chinese BurnChinese Burn (song)"Chinese Burn" is a single by Curve taken from their third album Come Clean. It was released on December 1, 1997.The song is track 1 on Come Clean....
" (1997) - Definition of SoundDefinition of SoundDefinition of Sound was a London-based dance-music group, consisting of Kevin Clark and Don Weekes, working with musicians Rex Brough and latterly, Mike Spencer. Their second and fourth singles, "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" and "Moira Jane's Café" were in the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart. The...
- "Outsider" (1997) - Meat KatieMeat KatieMark Pember, also known as Meat Katie, is a London-based tech-funk producer and DJ. He has gained popularity in recent years in developing his style of tech-funk, combining techno, tribal, electro, breakbeat and house music...
- "Boned"(1997) - PitchshifterPitchshifter (band)Pitchshifter are a British five-piece electronic-metal band from Nottingham, United Kingdom formed in 1989. The band was started by bassist and vocalist Mark Clayden, lead guitarist and programmer Johnny A...
- "Genius" (1998) - DJ Scissorkicks - "Clap Yo' Hands" (1999)
Soundtrack appearances
- La Femme Nikita: Getting Out of the Reverse (2000) - "Leave You Far Behind"
- The Jackal (1997) - "Leave You Far Behind"
- Mortal Kombat: AnnihilationMortal Kombat: AnnihilationMortal Kombat: Annihilation is a 1997 American martial arts action film that was the sequel to 1995's Mortal Kombat, and was directed by John R. Leonetti, who had served as the cinematographer for the previous film...
(1997) - "Leave You Far Behind" (V2. Instrumental Mix) - Head OnHead On (1998 film)Head On is a 1998 award-winning Australian film directed by Ana Kokkinos. Based on the acclaimed novel Loaded written by Christos Tsiolkas, it stars Alex Dimitriades as a young gay man of Greek descent, living in the inner city of Melbourne. The film gained notoriety upon its release for its sexual...
(1998) - "Leave You Far Behind" - ESPN X-Games Pro Boarder (1998) - "Leave You Far Behind"
- The MatrixThe MatrixThe Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
(1999) - "Leave You Far Behind" (Lunatic vs. Lunatic Rollercoaster Remix) - Arlington RoadArlington RoadArlington Road is a 1999 American drama/mystery film, which tells the story of a widowed George Washington University professor who suspects his new neighbors are involved in terrorism and becomes obsessed with foiling their terrorist plot. The film stars Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, and...
(1999) - "Neon Reprise" - Need for Speed: High StakesNeed for Speed: High StakesNeed for Speed: High Stakes, released as Need for Speed: Road Challenge in Europe and Brazil and Over Drivin' IV in Japan, is a 1999 racing video game, developed by Electronic Arts Canada and published by Electronic Arts...
(1999) - "Roll the Dice" - Test Drive 6Test Drive (video game)Test Drive is a series of racing video games. Originally published by Accolade, which was later bought by Infogrames, the first game was released in 1987 and has since been followed by several sequels...
(1999) - "Leave You Far Behind" - FIFA 2000 (1999) - "LC001"
- Charlie's Angels (2000) - "Leave You Far Behind" (V2. Instrumental Mix)
- The GuiltyThe Guilty (2000 film)The Guilty is a 2000 American crime film directed by Anthony Waller and starring Bill Pullman, Devon Sawa, Gabrielle Anwar, Angela Featherstone and Joanne Whalley.-Plot summary:...
(2000) - "Leave You Far Behind" - Titan A.E.Titan A.E.Titan A.E. is an American animated post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman released in 2000. The title refers to the spacecraft that is central to the plot, with A.E. meaning "After Earth."...
(Trailer) (2000) - "Leave You Far Behind" - Formula One 2001Formula One 2001Formula One 2001 is a racing game in the Formula One series of computer and video games. It was released for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2...
(2001) - "Shockwave" - Tomcats (2001) - "Roll the Dice" (Fatboy Slim vocal mix)
- Spider-ManSpider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
(Teaser Trailer) (2002) - "Leave You Far Behind" - Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Radio Sunnydale (2003) - "Sound of the Revolution"
- Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of LifeLara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of LifeLara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life is a 2003 action film directed by Jan de Bont, and starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft. It is a sequel to the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider...
: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture (2003) - "Leave You Far Behind" - MotorstormMotorStormMotorStorm is a 2006 racing video game developed by Evolution Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the Sony PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. First announced at E3 2005, the game was released in Japan on 14 December 2006 and the rest of the world in March 2007....
(2007) - "Leave You Far Behind" - DriveDrive (TV series)Drive is a short-lived American action drama television series created by Tim Minear and Ben Queen, produced by Minear, Queen, and Greg Yaitanes, and starring Nathan Fillion, four episodes of which aired on the Fox network in April 2007...
(2007) - "Leave you Far Behind"